Grim Alternative
by BountyRook
Summary: What did I get myself into? How did I go from a simple trivial errand to being involved in a war for humanity's survival? No matter, it's war which is what I've been made for and I will do what I do best and help fight off this enemy that knows no surrender. Which is kill them all by any means necessary!
1. Chapter 1

**Grim Alternative**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Muv Luv Alternative or the characters, only my OC is mine. So let's get the show on the road.**

**CHAPTER 1-Different Reality**

**October 22, 2001**

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><p>I opened my eyes as I woke up in my room wondering about how I overslept. Normally I'd wake up early to do some warm up exercises before I do anything else. For some reason today it didn't happen. Maybe my body's internal clock got screwed up due to the jet lag after arriving in Yokohama, Japan after being deployed here by the UNWOP to assist the JDF with some military training exercises. Why the UN Chief of Security sent someone like me for this trivial task I don't know. The room I was in was plain. Nothing fancy or outrageous, just how I prefer it to be. The walls were white in color. There was a small TV on a wooden shelf that also had some other miscellaneous stuff in it. There was a bedside locker next to the bed which had my laptop on it and a wardrobe where my clothes were. There was door that led out of the room and another one to the bathroom.<p>

So I got up and stretched my body to get the kinks off and dropped on the floor for some push ups and crunches. After that I went to the bathroom to rinse my face, brush my teeth and have a shower. After that I dried up and went to the wardrobe to pick out my clothes which were mostly civilian since I was ordered to blend in with the civilians. They should already know that I wear whatever the hell I want.

However when I opened this wardrobe I thought that someone was messing with me and doing a good job of pissing me off as I saw different clothes from what I had put in there. All that I saw was what seemed to be a white school uniform for some high school I had passed by some time yesterday, known as Hakuryou. Really? Is this some kind of sick joke 'cos I'm not laughing one bit! Or was this my superior trying to make sure that I blend in with the civilians? Well I'd admit that I'd look like I'm meant to be in high school, but that doesn't mean that they switch my clothes with a fucking school uniform! I'm a freaking lone wolf operative not a high school student!

Whatever. At least they left my white full body special ops outfit that was made of a special Kevlar weave which provided protection without sacrificing mobility, which is still good news for me and also my Glock 17, binoculars and my combat knife. After getting my frustrations out of my system I dressed up in my special ops outfit which felt like a second skin and put that white uniform which surprisingly fits me over it and picked up my UN ID. UN World Operations, Lone Wolf Operative, Neon "Grim" Cross. Call-sign "Grim Eagle". Issued I don't give a damn when. Pocketing my ID, I also concealed my weapons and went out of the room.

Unfortunately, what I came out to was something I did not ever expect to see, enough to catch me off guard which never happened to me, ever. Outside it looked like the town I was in had been hit by an earthquake, tsunami or whatever kind of disaster. But that wasn't what caught me off guard, since I have been used to seeing destroyed towns due to natural disasters. It was the sight of what looked like a demolished mech which I can remember seeing from some video games I had seen while in Japan, and it was crashed into the house opposite where I stayed. Now I could tell that this was no kind of joke but there was a problem...am I still in Japan or somewhere else altogether? Do I want to know the answer? Well there's no point in standing around here gaping like a fish. I might as well look around the place and find out what I can about what the hell happened while I slept last night.

I dunno about you but I can tell you that whatever happened to this place it was big and nasty as I walked through the ruins of what was once a town. Some of the familiar places I had seen were nothing but ruins and it made me wonder what the hell happened to a peaceful town like this. But that also brought up another question, how come I am still alive? I walked up the hill leading to that Hakuryou high school that I remembered having the cherry blossom trees along it and once again it was nothing but a barren land which I deduced to be the result of a nuke or carpet bombing. Did the moronic Americans decide to go Hiroshima on Japan again? I wouldn't put it past them considering their asshole of a president but I digress.

I reached the top of the hill and after some more walking I saw the Hakuryou high school or more like a fortified UN base that I had never seen nor heard of. I took out my binoculars and looked at the entrance which had two guards stationed there, both in military uniform and armed. Well the front door's out as there's no way I'm going in since I doubt they'd recognize me or even believe that I'm one of them. I did some scouting around the base and saw that the walls had barbed wires all over it. Obviously they would do that. After twenty minutes of scouting I found no way for me to sneak into the base which left the front entrance as my only way in.

Well in all honesty, stealth wasn't my specialty. While I'm decent at sneaking about I wasn't as skilled as someone like the one known as No 1 or the Ultimate Ghost. In fact I preferred to go through the front door when I operated but I always tried to look for alternatives whenever I was on a mission. So with a frustrated sigh I made my way to the front gate. As I reached the front gate and was not surprised as the two guards there looked at me as I got closer. One of them was a dark skinned man like me and the other looked Japanese. Both had their assault rifles at the ready in case I did something hostile. Well I won't be hostile unless they prove to be hostile first.

**...**

"Hold it there pal. State your name, ID number and your assigned squad." The dark skinned guard asked me as he had his hand out signalling me to stop which I did. The other guard just looked at me and my uniform. I just gave the guy my ID since I wasn't in the mood to say anything. The guy looked at it and had a perplexed look on his face before giving my ID to the other guard who looked at it and had the same perplexed look.

"Neon Cross. UN World Operations Lone Wolf Operative. Call-sign "Grim Eagle". ID No. 0027680914?" The Japanese guard said, "I've never heard of such a division."

"That's because it more or less doesn't officially exist. It's basically black ops." I tried to clarify for them, "In fact ask your CO they'd be able to confirm it."

"I...see..." The other guard muttered, "I'll do that." He then nodded to the Japanese guard while he went to the booth at the gate. I stood there for a while as I waited for the confirmation.

**Inside the Yokohama Base, POV of someone else...**

The front gate guard called me and told me about the young man at the front gate and the info on his ID. UNWOP? Black Ops squad? Never heard of it. I did a quick check on the UN database since he mentioned that the CO would know this. After a few minutes I ended up with nothing about this UNWOP or this Neon Cross. Whoever he was I'd like to know as that was a really bad attempt at sneaking in for a spy. I informed the guard to hold him and while I came down to see him for myself.

**Neon Cross' POV...**

The guard came out of the booth and went to his fellow guard and whispered something to him. His colleague nodded at him before they faced me and pointed their rifles at me.

"Let me guess, your CO said that UNWOP nor I exist?" I asked.

"Smart guy aren't you?" The Guard No. 1 said, "That's good since it saves us the trouble. Now hands where we can see them!"

I reluctantly raised both hands up, annoyed at the situation I was in but also not surprised as this confirmed what had been going on in my head. I am in a completely different Japan than the one I know. Worse there is no UNWOP meaning no presence of my superior, my support, Dr. Yashiro and Dr. Vela. Which means only one thing...

_Code Black is now in effect!_

I looked at the two guards and did a quick scan of them. Both had assault rifles, M-16s to be also had sidearms in the right leg holsters, M9 Berettas. They had body armor on and a helmet on their heads. I only had a Glock 17 and a combat knife and they have their weapons aimed at me, but since Code Black is in effect then too bad for these two.

The Guard No. 1 placed his hand on my shoulder which was the opening I needed as I grabbed the offending arm and twisted him around to face his fellow guard while I drew out his M9 and shot the shocked Guard No. 2 in the unprotected shoulder and then his left leg dropping him on the ground. Then I pistol whipped my human shield knocking him out and moved to the injured guard. As he looked up at me I stepped on his injured shoulder and kept the pistol aimed at his face.

"Who's the one in charge here?"

"Screw you-AAARRGGH!"

"Wrong answer moron! I'll ask one last time! Who's the one in charge here? And think about your answer this time."

"That would be me." A female voice said. Well that saved me the trouble. That is if she's the CO.

I moved my foot from the Guard No. 2's wound and then stomped his face, knocking him out. I looked at the new arrival who was an older woman with violet hair and violet eyes. She's beautiful I'll admit but I don't intend to say it out loud. She was wearing a white lab coat over a grey uniform.

"So you're the one in charge here? Good, because I have a lot of questions for you right now and I hope that you have the answers for them." I said to her, "By the way what's your name ma'am?"

"Professor Kouzuki Yuuko." The woman replied, "And what makes you think that I'll give you any answers? Tell me. Why shouldn't I call more guards to detain you?"

"Because you'd end up needing a lot of body bags or your infirmary would be full of injured guards." I answered coldly, "And I seriously doubt that you want to risk that. Besides I have a feeling that you have questions of your own for me, right?"

"Yes, I do." Yuuko replied, "Though it'll be better if we talk somewhere else more private."

"That would be a good idea ma'am."

"And can you please stop calling me ma'am. It makes me sound old. Just call me Kouzuki Yuuko."

"I meant no disrespect by that, I'm only saying it out of respect since you're the base CO."

"Actually the one in charge is the General. I'm the second in command here though I hold a lot of power here."

"I see. Okay, I understand."

"Good to know and by the way can you wake up those two up?"

"Yes, ma'am."

I ignored her sigh as I went to the Guard No.1 and gave him a swift kick to the gut which got the desired result as he woke up with a painful jolt. When he looked up he saw me and then his eyes widened when he saw the professor too. I then walked over to Guard No.2 and stepped on his wound which also woke him up painfully and he did the same thing like his colleague.

"Also get some medical attention for this one since I shot him in the shoulder and leg." I said to the professor.

"I already did the moment I heard a gun go off. Obviously your doing since I saw the results of your handiwork." Yuuko said with a small frown on her face before she smiled and held her hand on her head, "Ah! Now I remember you...I'll need you to come with me, Lieutenant Cross."

"EH?!" The two guards blurted out in surprise. Seems they did not expect this revelation and neither did I, though I kept my surprise hidden from them.

"Sorry about that...it took me a while to remember him. Explains why I couldn't get any records of him." Yuuko said to the guards. The two of them got up to their feet with No.1 helping No.2 due to his injury.

"But..." Guard No.2 began to protest.

"Why did you think that I told you to hold him while I came to see for myself? As for who he is and his unit, that's information way above your pay grade."

"Wait a minute! He just assaulted two guards and shot one too!" Guard No.1 protested.

"What was that Corporal? You have something to say to me?"

The two guards stepped back from her, clearly intimidated by her. That made it even more clear that she was the one in charge here.

"No! Nothing at all!"

"That's what I thought." Yuuko said in satisfaction, "Well then follow me Lieutenant Cross."

"Yes, ma'am." I said, much to her annoyance.

The professor just walked into the UN base followed by me just as I tossed the M9 back to Guard No.1 and quickly apologized to him and Guard No.2. As I followed the woman I just kept having a feeling that this was the start of something that'll change my life forever...

_**"Oh you have no idea, how right you are kid..."**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 End.<strong>

**And for those of you wondering, yes, Neon "Grim" Cross would take the place of Shirogene Takeru, so expect some events to turn out differently. Also this is Neon Cross when he was still working for UN as the 3rd Bounty Rook known as "The Master of Battle". **

**Also just to let some others know, my other stories are still alive. I'm still working on the chapters for them so it'll take me a while to update them.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Grim Alternative**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Muv Luv Alternative or the characters, only my OC is mine. So let's get the show on the road.**

**Chapter 2: New War**

**Inside the UN Base, Yuuko's POV**

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><p>We walked through hallways and past multiple security checkpoints where the young man's Glock 17 pistol and combat knife were confiscated. As we continued walking, I noticed that a lot of the personnel were looking at the young man following me: White hair tied in a long ponytail reaching his back, dark skin, green and red eyes, meaning heterochromia iridum. He was dressed in the uniform the cadets wore at the academy. However I could tell that this was no ordinary teenager. He had the eyes of a battle hardened veteran that had been in multiple engagements and come out victorious. He also had a muscular athletic body that also proved that he had been trained in the military, too well trained to be exact considering whatever he did to the two guards at the front gate. Also the way he addressed me earlier also showed that he had been taught etiquette and manners too. It was also clear that the young man named Neon Cross was unfazed by the stares he was getting, as if he was used to it.<p>

"Let me guess you're wondering why I am not bothered by their stares right?" Cross asked as if he knew what I was thinking.

"Well what do you think?" I asked him.

"Most likely because I'm a foreigner and it's not often you see foreigners like me in Japan." he answered back, "Am I correct?"

"That depends on your outlook, Cross." I said.

**...**

**Kouzuki Yuuko's Office, Neon Cross' POV**

Finally, after walking through who knows how many hallways and security checkpoints, we arrived at Yuuko's office. Compared to Dr Yashiro's and Dr Vela's offices this place was a mess! It was so disorganized that I found it hard to believe that she was a professor to begin with. No matter, how she handles her office is not my business. I sat down on one of the chairs in the office. Yuuko went over to her desk and turned to look at me while her hand was under her chin as she stared at me. With that I got the ball rolling.

"You know that I'm no lieutenant right, in fact I was never ranked in the UN to begin with."

"I know that. I just wanted to talk to you in a more private setting." Yuuko said, "Like you said

earlier you have questions for me and so do I. So how about I start first?"

"Go ahead and ask. Just know that there are some things that I cannot tell you." I stated.

Yuuko frowned at me for a moment before she dropped the look. "First and foremost who are you really?"

"Neon "Grim" Cross. Call-sign Grim Eagle. I'm from the Netherlands and I'm 16 years old. I have no knowledge of my date of birth nor my family as I was told that I was an orphan. I'm a Lone Wolf Operative for the United Nation World Operations counter-terrorism/black ops unit."

"So you're a member of a black ops unit huh? In other words you don't officially exist?"

"Yes ma'am. Only a select few know about me."

"Describe your skills then soldier."

"Yes ma'am. I am well versed in multiple forms of warfare, very knowledgeable in many tactics and weapons and also very skilled in using them. I'm also able to pilot any vehicle especially in battle. I'm also fluent in English, French, German, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Dutch, Japanese, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swahili. I've also been trained to adapt to whatever scenario I find myself in and to survive anything. I am mostly deployed to outright exterminate terrorist threats wherever they're located."

Yuuko's eyes were wide open. Most likely in shock and awe. Who wouldn't be after I tell them all that. Although I had to leave out the fact that I'm a Bounty Rook and basically a genetically modified super soldier. That would really cause a ruckus.

"That's a lot to stomach. So they trained you into the ground huh?" Yuuko asked.

"Yes ma'am." I answered.

"How experienced are you?"

"I've been in the unit for three years and completed exactly 177 missions and participated in 185 battle engagements. All ending in me and UN's favor. I even earned the call-sign Grim Eagle because I killed over 900 enemy forces."

Silence was all I got. In fact I could hear a pin dropping somewhere as I saw Yuuko looking at me with eyes wide and her jaw hanging there.

"I think I broke her." I muttered.

**Yuuko's POV**

Did I hear him right? 177 missions, 185 battle engagements and over 900 kills?! Who the hell turned this young man into such a killing machine?! Even the way he talked seemed almost robot like. I know about child soldiers who had joined the military either by force or by their own volition but I have never heard of someone as young as him with such a battle record as his. I know that we're doing something similar with training Eishis but for someone to have seen so much battle and killed that many at such a young age, it's quite a surprise and also sad.

"I think I broke her." I heard him say which got me back to reality. Did I actually blank out like that?!

**Neon Cross' POV**

Yuuko seemed to have finally regained her wits. I don't get why she even blanked out to begin with. It's not like my battle records are any special, right? And even if she thinks that what I'm saying is bogus, I don't care, it's her own prerogative.

"Is that all of your questions because if so I'd like to ask mine?" I spoke up.

"For now I have no further questions. Please ask yours then." Yuuko said.

"Alright, what the hell happened here? Why does Japan look like the second coming of Hiroshima, and why the hell is a high school being used as a UN base? Did Japan go and do something stupid to piss someone off?" I asked, "If so fill me in on what I missed because yesterday it was peaceful normal day in Japan then I wake up today to see the place in a mess."

"This is the UN Yokohama Base, which is one of the last defense lines against the enemy. And what are you talking about? Japan's been a mess for half a century since the war started."

"War? With who to be exact?"

"The BETA!"

My face had the look of complete onfusion after I heard what she said.

"What the hell's BETA? Is it some kind of terrorist group?" I asked.

"BETA is short for Beings of Extra Terrestrial origins that are Adversaries of the human race." Yuuko answered.

"You mean aliens?! Is this some kind of sick joke ma'am? Because I'm not laughing!" I replied in surprise. Yeah right! We're at war with aliens. What a load of crap!

"Believe it or not, it's the truth. Humanity has been at war with them for over half a century. The BETA are determined to wipe out humanity ever since they arrived and we're now on our last legs."

Well that got me silent. Really? We've been at war with some aliens for over half a century? Okay what kind of nightmare did I wake up to? Actually it all seems too real to be so since I'm sitting down on a chair, wide awake and talking to this woman.

"...you still here?"

I refocused my attention back on Yuuko. All this is too much to grasp.

"So it's been this bad huh?" I asked.

She looked at the large map posted behind her desk. I followed her gaze and saw the map covered by swarms of red pins which signified hostile presence. Meaning that it's that bad.

"Embarrassingly so, I'm afraid." Yuuko replied with restrained anger.

"Even if what you say is true I still find it hard to believe as it was peaceful yesterday to me before I woke up today."

"You said that it was peaceful yesterday and then you woke up and saw today instead?"

"Yes I did. What are you getting at?"

Yuuko put a hand to her chin in a contemplative pose. "It looks like my Quantum Causality Theory may have something to do with that. It's a theory that states that an infinite number of alternate timelines or worlds run parallel with each other and diverge at different points..."

Quantum Causality what? Okay...half of whatever she said just went over my head. "What the hell do you mean? And say it in understandable English please."

"I'll try and explain it in layman's terms, you came here from another world. An alternate Earth. An alternate timeline. Since you mentioned that Japan was peaceful where you before you woke up today, it'll seem that you somehow crossed over from your world to this world." Yuuko explained.

"Hold it! Hold it!" I shouted, "You mean to tell me that I somehow dimension hopped from my dimension to this hell hole dimension?!"

"That's what it looks like based on my theory."

"And is there a way I can get back to my dimension?"

"There could be, though I have no idea how."

Well that blows...

"So I am stuck here?" I asked.

"Yes, unfortunately. With that said I will take the initiative and offer you two choices." Yuuko said.

"Wallow away in despair or join your cause right?" I finished for her, surprising her, "Sorry but it was quite obvious what you were going to say and you should know that my option would obviously be join your cause, after all I am more or less a soldier. Though I can tell that you want something in return right?"

"And what makes you think so Cross?" Yuuko said in a sly tone.

"You definitely look like the scheming type and those type of people I hate with a passion." I bluntly said, "And call me Neon instead of Cross, ma'am."

"Alright Neon and call me Yuuko instead of ma'am then, I'm hate formalities. And as for whether I'm the type of person you hate I honestly don't care, but I can tell you that I'm a person that's willing to do what's necessary to get things done."

"Just like me, Yuuko-san. Whatever it takes even if it makes me a monster. Sometimes to deal with a monster you'd need to send another to deal with it."

"So you're saying that you're a monster huh?" Yuuko asked in curiosity, "What of the saying "Those who fight against monsters must make sure they don't become one." Huh?"

"Well I'm a monster made by the UN to deal with other monsters in the world. Many of which were terrorist scumbags." I answered, "So that saying is pointless to me."

"Okay...anyways, I'll be needing you for my research, considering your circumstances."

"Sorry but I'm a soldier not a guinea pig or test subject."

"You're much higher than any of those. And if you want to fight against the BETA you'll have to become an eishi."

_Eishi._ My face became full of confusion and Yuuko saw that and decided to explain.

"The title for those who pilot the TSFs, Tactical Surface Fighters. The weapons we use against the BETA."

I nodded in understanding. "So how will I become an eishi then? It obviously involves training right?"

"Obviously. I can get you enrolled in the Eishi academy and assign you to a squad of cadets." Yuuko said.

"Do you really think that's fair considering my military records? It'll be a waste of my time you know. And I doubt that I'd want to be around some green horns with no idea of the gory side of war." I argued.

"Well you don't exist in this world and therefore no records of your existence. I'll have to fabricate that and even your past. Then I'll need to come up with a reason for why you weren't enlisted earlier."

"You do that and I'll do my job as a soldier/monster to deal with these monsters humanity is dealing with."

"Also I'll be giving you clearance for this level so that you can see me whenever I need your assistance."

"With your research...whatever. Do as you please. I'll do my part to keep humanity in this 'dimension' safe. Just don't do anything that makes me think that you're a dirty double crosser."

"I'll do my part like I've always been doing I assure you. Just worry about yourself Neon."

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 End.<strong>

**Looks like Neon has to deal with the fact that he's now in a different dimension and the war between humanity and the BETA. Time for the Ultimate Soldier to join into the fight and deal with Yuuko's research.**

**Next Neon meets Squad 207.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Grim Alternative**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Muv Luv Alternative or the characters, only my OC is mine. So let's get the show on the road.**

**Chapter 3: Squad 207**

**Training Field, Neon's POV**

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><p>After leaving Professor Yuuko's office, I made my way to the training field where she mentioned I'd meet my new squad, Squad 207. This was kind of new to me as I mostly worked alone except for joint ops where I worked with other squads but never as a member of one. This could take some getting used to. Also I'm no longer fighting against terrorists, instead I am fighting against aliens. Freaking aliens! Sounds insane and even with Yuuko's explanation it still sounds insane but I'm not one for science and theory but action which means that I'll have to fight this enemy.<p>

As I walked through the mentioned area, I heard someone call out to me. It was feminine.

"Excuse me…are you..."

"Huh?"

I turned around and saw a girl with long blue hair which she tied into a high ponytail with a white band and blue eyes. She was wearing the same dark blue UN uniform with a black turtleneck shirt under it. She's definitely Japanese and also from the upper class which I have no love for.

"...hm? What is it? Is something the matter?" she asked in a formal tone.

"Nothing is wrong." I replied.

"I must ask you to not go any further. This place is dangerous for outsiders."

"Actually. I was sent here to meet someone."

"Hm? Who are you looking for?"

"Mitsurugi, it's all right." Another voice called out.

Walking towards us was a woman with long brown hair and brown eyes, also wearing the same UN uniform.

"Instructor?"

"...you're Cross Neon?" The instructor asked.

"Yes ma'am." I saluted. "Are you Sergeant Jinguuji?"

"Yes I am." The sergeant replied, "At ease."

"Then this man is..." Mitsurugi trailed off.

"Assemble the squad!" Sergeant Jinguuji.

Quickly the rest of squad 207 assembled in front of her and they were all girls. Okay, what? Yuuko put me in a squad of girls? What the hell?

"Squad 207 assembled!" said a girl with brown hair tied into two braided ponytails, olive green eyes and had glasses on.

"Good...then I'll introduce him. This is Cross Neon, newly assigned to squad 207." The instructor began. The four girls turned to look at me. The other two being a tall girl with black hair styled like a certain black hedgehog I know of and violet eyes and the other being a shorter girl with green eyes and pink hair styled as if she's a cat.

"I'd like to say it's a pleasure to meet you all but that remains to be seen." I said.

"As you can see, he's a man..." DUH! DUH! DUH! DUH! "You're all probably surprised to see a male recruit nowadays, but until recently he's been exempt from the draft."

So that's my cover story Yuuko made up? I'll just roll with it since she said that she has it covered.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Too complicated to talk about."

"He'll be training with us starting tomorrow. Understand?"

"Ma'am!" The four girls acknowledged.

"For now eat with him and learn to get along. Afterward, Sakaki, you will escort him to the barracks and give him anything he needs."

"Ma'am!" The girl known as Sakaki acknowledged.

"We'll continue training for the remaining ten minutes. Cross, stay there and watch." Sergeant Jinguuji pointed over to the side.

"Affirmative." I acknowledged. I walked over to the spot and watched my squad mates finish their training.

**PX (Post Exchange) aka The Cafeteria**

Sakaki was very helpful in showing me around the place. The garage, cadet dormitory, classroom, the assembly room and so on. Thanks to how I am I was able to process the information very quickly and be done in time to get to the cafeteria.

"Cross-san, Sakaki-san, over here!" Tamase Miki called us over from one of the tables in the PX. Both me and Sakaki Chizuru who was also the squad leader of squad 207 went over to the table where the others are. I sat down beside the black haired girl named Ayamine Kei on one side while Chizuru joined Tamase and Meiya Mitsurugi on the other side.

"You got here faster than I expected." Meia said with a look of disbelief.

Sakaki shrugged. "That's because Cross wanted to get the tour over and done with."

"Hm?"

"He preferred that I explained things in simpler terms and spare him the "long ass explanations" which is why we were done quicker than normal."

"Which is a good thing, Squad leader, since it saves us all valuable time." I said, "And by the way please call me Neon. I'm not from Japan so I'm not used to being called by my last name."

"Very well then Neon. Oh, by the way, the instructor asked me to give this to you."

Meiya then handed me a piece of paper. I took it and scanned through the contents quickly. It looked like some kind of an enlistment oath.

"Ah. Thank you. Neon, have that memorized by tomorrow. You have to recite the oath in order to enlist." Chizuru informed me.

"You mean this UN enlistment oath?" I asked.

"Yes..." Ayamine said.

"Well then, I'll have it memorized for tomorrow."

"I see…. Well, good luck tomorrow." Tamase said.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Tamase." I said.

Then I saw Chizuru look at me with a serious expression. "By the way. There is something I want to ask you."

"What will that be?" I asked.

"I'll be blunt. Can we… expect much out of you?"

_Excuse me? _"What are you saying?"

"Instructor Jinguuji told us you're a 'special person'. Is that 'special' compared to us? No out of everyone in the country? The planet?"

"That is a very good question." _You have no idea. _"However the answer to that depends on your outlook."

"Hmm? I see. Well that is still good to hear." Meiya said.

"Lets train hard together, Neon-san!" Tamase exclaimed.

"Yeah...let's do that." I said.

"We do not wish to know what 'special' actually means. But it does make us hopeful." Meiya added.

"Well Professor Kouzuki and Instructor Jinguuji both have faith in him! I'm sure he'll be fine." Miki said.

"….I hope so." Ayamine said.

"Anyways a month from now, there'll be a Comprehensive Skill Evaluation." Chizuru mentioned, "We have to win this time."

"Comprehensive Skill Evaluation? You mean like your final exams?" I asked. This reminded me of a similar test UN cadets or officers took before they could join UNWOP.

"Yes, you're correct Neon." Chizuru answered. "You know about it?"

"I have a rough idea about it." I replied.

"We have over a week so Yoroi should return in time to join us. We need Squad 207 to be as strong as possible when the time comes." Meiya said.

"Yoroi? Is that another squad member?" I asked.

"Yes. Yoroi-san had to be hospitalized after the last training exercise." Miki answered, though I could tell that she was hiding some guilt when she said that. That meant that it was that bad.

"Yoroi's skills, especially in survival, are second to none." Chizuru said with pride.

_Tch. As if. They don't know about my own skills. _"Is that so? Can't wait to meet her then."

"Anyways we are expecting a lot out of you." Chizuru said with a mischievous grin on her face which the others had except Tamase who was just smiling.

"Hmph. No pressure." I replied nonchalantly. _Oh I'll more than meet your expectations girls._

**Evening, My Room**

Looks like the UN here is a little different from the one I'm used to. Not as strict but neither too lax either. I guess that's a good thing. Well no matter, let's read this UN oath then. Hmm...not too hard to remember which is also good.

Squad 207 seems to be a decent unit though Squad leader Chizuru seems to be extremely strict, having high expectations of me on day one. I also can tell that they all have secrets of their own and they respect each other's privacy in such matters. That's fine and all but they can't keep those walls up forever. It's bound to ruin the unit if they do so. I'll need to do something about that. Well let's see what tomorrow has for me then. And just as I'm about to lie down suddenly there's a knock on the door. I opened the door and saw a familiar person.

"Well hello Yuuko-san. What can I do for you?"

"Oh no reason. Just thought that I'd see how you're doing with your new squad." Yuuko replied.

"The girls are a decent bunch but they are expecting too much out of me right off the bat." I answered, "Though I intend to do more than meet those expectations."

"Considering that you're a soldier already from where your dimension that shouldn't be a big deal for you. In fact you can use this to your advantage to encourage the others to push themselves."

"True and they seem to need me especially for the Comprehensive Skills Evaluation. I take it that you know about it."

"Of course. It's the exam that the cadets take before they begin their Eishi training. Takes place on an island off the coast. The next one's taking place very soon, so be ready for it."

"Of course I'll be ready. I was made for this kind of thing."

**October 23, Training Field**

I have never felt so insulted in my life! Ten kilometer run around the field? Really? That's child's play for me. I easily went through that without an issue, which I noticed surprised the instructor. Most likely she didn't expect a greenhorn to be able to move a quick pace and even finish faster than the others. I stopped in front of the instructor after I was done with this joke of a run.

"Instructor I'm done." I said, though I wanted to call this a joke but held my piece.

Instructor Jinguuji just looked at me while hiding her surprise. "Good, now wait until the others get back. You can rest."

"Well I'm still feel fresh so I'd like to run some more." I said.

"Very well then." The instructor permitted. With that I went off and began to go around the track some more and overlapped the girls once more. After the girls finished 10 kilometers, I also stopped and still I wasn't satisfied. I needed something more challenging than this! The instructor looked at us and pointed towards the cages.

"Okay, next! Grab the gear in the cages and march ten kilometers!" she ordered.

"Un-understood..."

"Really? Half gear?" I made my dissatisfaction clear.

I could see the other cadets look at me in shock from my statement. I met their looks with a shrug as if that wasn't a big deal. Then I noticed Instructor Jinguuji looking at me with a fake smile and clenched fist. Looks like she intends to do something about my attitude.

"I see. Cross, has all this time you spent exempt from draft given you extra energy?" She asked.

I shrugged without a care in the world. "Maybe it has."

"Then you can do it in full gear. If you want, I can have you carry a dummy machine gun as well!"

"Understood ma'am!" I happily saluted, which caused her to raise her eyebrow at my enthusiasm. I wasted no time running off to the cage with the rest of the squad following.

Even in full gear and with that dummy machine gun I easily finished my laps before the rest of the squad and I still wasn't satisfied. I know that I have insane stamina and all that but I still should have a limit! I sighed and then noticed Tamase walk over to me.

"That's amazing...mmmm, there!" she said as she dropped her gear. I just looked at her and shrugged.

"What's so amazing?" I asked.

"That you complained about not doing it in full gear and that you still outran us in full gear and with a dummy weapon."

"Honestly I expected us to do more..."

"That's true but still~….."

So we'll actually be doing more...good!

**Evening, My Room**

Arrgh! Seriously the so called training I went through with the squad left much to be desired. I never felt so unsatisfied with a training session like that while the others were actually feeling a bit fatigued by the training. Maybe it's because of how I am. I mean I'm supposed to be the "Ultimate Soldier" according to Professor Yashiro. That might explain why the training sessions I'm used to are nothing like these ones I went through.

Something tells me that I should ease up a bit. For some reason those girls were looking at me in a strange way during the training exercises today. As if I was not normal. Well I'm not normal, that much I know but I don't have to tell them that. Or do I? I may have be a lone wolf but even I know when I have to work with others and something tells me that I'd have to work with these girls in my squad even if I far surpass them as a soldier. Gah! Too much to think about. I need to cool off with some fresh air...

**Training field**

It's dark outside but the air's pretty warm. Not what I wanted but livable. The wind's blowing and it feels you could be blown off the ground. Well I could enjoy the outside and maybe have a jog...looks like someone had the same idea I had. What do you know? It's Meiya Mitsurugi.

After jogging for a while Meiya stopped as she noticed me standing there.

"Hm? Oh, Neon."

"Hello Meiya."

Meiya had her left hand on her head and the other on her waist in annoyance. "I do not mind...but there are rules about this."

"Sorry but I'm used to calling people by their first names and not their last names. Even if it's custom around here." I replied.

"You are aware of it, and yet….I suppose that would be why they call it a habit."

"Well that's a load of nonsense. I asked you all to call me Neon because I'm used to being called by my first name and not my last name and not because I had to give you permission so you'd have to forgive me if I decide to call you by your first name."

"Fine you can call me Meiya then."

"Thank you very much. So you're doing laps huh?"

"Yes I am. This is part of my daily routine."

"Interesting. That's diligent of you."

"I wish to become an Eishi as soon as possible."

That got me raising my eyebrow. Why is she in such a rush?

"Why?" I asked.

"My reason is quite ordinary…I want to protect something." Meiya answered with conviction.

"Is that so? What do you want to protect?"

"...this planet…the people of this country…and Japan as a nation."

_'That's a noble goal.'_ I thought.

"Neon, do you have something that you want to protect?" Meiya asked.

"!?"

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><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>

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